Fairytale
by Shadow Rebirth
Summary: [One-shot.] Naruto had always dreamt of fairy tale parents: A husband and wife happily married and deeply in love with each other before tragedy tore them apart. Unfortunately, reality doesn't always work out that way.


Title: Fairytale  
Author: Shadow Rebirth  
Rating: T/PG-13  
Word Count: 1,063  
First Written: February 12, 2009  
Last Edited: February 12, 2009  
Posted: February 12, 2009  
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. This work has not been endorsed by Kishimoto Masashi, Shueisha, Viz Media, Shōnen Jump, Studio Pierrot, Aniplex, or any of the others holding copyright or license to the Naruto manga, anime, movies, and products. No connection is implied or should be inferred. Other names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental. Any similarities, without satirical intent, to copyrighted characters, or individuals living or dead, are purely coincidental. This is not a commercial work. The author receives no financial gain from its production or distribution. It is available without charge.

Summary: One-shot. Naruto had always dreamt of fairytale parents: A husband and wife happily married and deeply in love with each other before tragedy tore them apart. Unfortunately, reality doesn't always work out that way.

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Fairytale

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_Oh God._

It had just been a fling. A short, fiery relationship crafted from the passion of the moment rather than any real love or even affection. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. It was supposed to mean anything.

_Oh dear God._

Panic welled up within her as she stared blankly at the white wall across from her, unaware of her surroundings. She felt numb with shock and humming with emotions all at the same time. What was she going to do? What was _could_ she do?

He was the Hokage for fuck's sake! The fucking _Hokage_, leader of the Village. And she was just a Chuunin, a lowly subordinate, regardless of their similar ages. It was just a one night thing! No one was supposed to know!

_What was she going to do?_

It was a mistake, she wanted to scream. She hadn't meant anything by it. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this, wasn't supposed to turn out like _anything_. She'd take it back if she could, she swore she would. She wasn't ready for something like this; she was fucking kunoichi, a warrior. She couldn't afford something like this—it would destroy her career, not to mention her reputation.

"Miss Uzumaki?"

She gulped and glanced over at the doctor. He was frowning at her, concern clear on his face. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, so she closed it again. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to say.

"Are you alright, Miss Uzumaki?" the doctor repeated. "I know this is a big shock to you; even at your age getting pregnant—"

"Don't say it!" she snapped desperately. Saying it aloud would make it too real and she didn't want to deal with it, didn't want to—

_This couldn't be happening to her._

The days blurred into weeks, but she was unaware of the passing of time. She was always preoccupied, always distracted. It got to the point that her superiors took her off active duty and put her on a rotation of clerical duty instead. She bristled at the affront to her pride, but never said anything.

She had to tell _him_, she knew. Had to tell him what had happened because it mattered to him too. Lying, pretending it was someone else's, would be some much easier—he was the Hokage, her mind screamed again and again—but she couldn't do that. She never lied; that was her shinobi code. To turn towards the easier path now, towards cowardice, went against everything she stood for.

_But it would be so simple..._

It took her weeks to drudge up the courage to approach him. When she finally had he gave her one of those stunning smiles that always made her stomach flutter and her heart soar. It killed her to watch that smile slowly fade as she told him the news.

"I'm pregnant."

Silence. Dead silence. She winced, but honestly hadn't expected anything else. His eyes were guarded now, but she could tell he was panicking beneath the surface, even though he tried to hide it.

Then, "Are you sure it's mine?"

"There was no one else."

She couldn't meet his eyes. Those blue, blue eyes that had attracted her to him in the first place. She felt dirty all of the sudden. _She_ had done this. _She_ was a liability, who had put the Hokage, her leader, in this position.

"...Have you thought about getting an abortion?"

She nearly chocked, even though she'd expected him to ask it. It was only natural; the anticipated course. A child wasn't something the Hokage needed right now and _she_ certainly wasn't ready for it.

_She didn't even love him._

Her hands were shaking, she realized belatedly. She tried to still them as best she could.

"Of course. I—" Her mouth was dry all of the sudden and swallowing didn't help. "God, I don't know what to do."

He smiled at her again—_that heartbreaking smile_—and told her that it would be okay. That they'd figure out what to do. That they'd get through it.

She allowed herself to relax in his arms, but knew that he was lying. It wouldn't be okay. Everything had changed now.

_Even at their age, they were just kids._

In the end she decided against getting an abortion. There was too much of a risk that something could go wrong during the procedure and she wasn't willing to risk her career on even a small chance. _He_ supported her decision throughout the whole ordeal, but never offered his opinion and she was too terrified to ask it.

Instead they decided to let the child be adopted when it was born. Neither of them would be able to take care of it—he was the Hokage and she was a kunoichi, too headstrong and ambitious to be held down. They didn't specifically want to get rid of the child or anything, but they just couldn't handle it.

_No one needed to know that it was the child of a Kage._

He started spending more time around her then, trying to be casual about it, but the situation was too far gone to be salvaged. Whatever spark there had been between them had died in the face of reality and had left only cold emptiness behind. Now whenever they were together a tense, uncomfortable atmosphere hung over them.

_Every day her heart froze just a little bit more._

Then, in the final weeks of her pregnancy, the Kyuubi no Kitsune was spotted approaching their village. From the moment the word had come she hadn't seen _him_ again; he was too busy worry about his village, which was exactly how it should have been.

She went into labor prematurely to due stress. As she lay there in the hospital she cursed her child. She should have been out there with everyone else. She was a thrice damned kunoichi! She _belonged_ out there.

But then she first laid eyes on his face and she knew that she could never hate him. _Hers_. Her child. Her son. And God, he looked just like _him._ She smiled and laughed delightedly even as her breathing grew shallow and the nurses around her panicked about blood loss.

Her son, born into the maelstrom that was her life.

"Naruto," she murmured. "I think I'll name you Naruto."

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A/N: Just a thought—an alternate possibility.

This one-shot was inspired by the idea that if the _Hokage_ had been married or even in a very serious relationship, it seems logical that everyone would have known about it. Konohamaru was certainly a "celebrity" as far as shinobi relatives go, so if a famous war hero like Minato was going to have a child, wouldn't the village have known about it? It's still very possible—and even likely—that Minato and Kushina were in love but kept their relationship secret so that she wouldn't be targeted, but here's another take on it.

Oh, and Naruto means maelstrom, in case you didn't know.

--S.R.

_"The causes of life's history cannot resolve the riddle of life's meaning." – Stephen Jay Gould_


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